The Victorian Social Procurement Framework (SPF), administered by the Department of Treasury and Finance, requires Victorian Government departments, agencies, and prescribed entities to use their purchasing power to generate social and sustainable outcomes beyond the immediate transaction.

In practice, this means that when a Victorian Government agency contracts for security services, the procurement decision must account for:

• Opportunities for disadvantaged Victorians — including people with disability, long-term unemployed, and those leaving the justice system
• Gender equality — providers with demonstrable commitments to gender pay equity and advancement of women
• Sustainable and responsible business practices — including Modern Slavery Act compliance and ethical supply chains
• Opportunities for Aboriginal Victorians — engagement with Aboriginal businesses and employment of Aboriginal Victorians
• Engagement with social enterprises and disability enterprises

Security services are among the larger discretionary spend categories for Victorian Government facilities. A typical mid-size government facility may spend $200,000–$500,000 annually on security services. This scale creates significant leverage.

Security is also a labour-intensive industry — most of the contract value goes directly to officer wages. Choosing a provider that invests in its workforce, pays at or above Award rates, and actively recruits from priority cohorts can generate measurable social outcomes at relatively low administrative cost to the buyer.

The security industry has historically been a pathway to employment for people facing labour market barriers, including veterans, people with lived experience of the justice system, long-term unemployed individuals undertaking Certificate II or III in Security Operations, and new migrants and refugees with relevant prior security or policing experience.

The security industry sits at an interesting intersection of social procurement considerations. It is a large employer, it provides entry-level pathways into the workforce, and its service delivery is fundamentally local — officers must physically be in the location where they work, which means employment benefits accrue locally.

Workforce Development in the Security Sector

In Victoria, entry-level security roles typically require a Certificate II in Security Operations and the relevant licence from Victoria Police’s Licensing and Regulation Division. The licensing pathway is accessible to people with limited prior qualifications, making security a genuine entry point for workers who face barriers to professional employment.

From a social procurement perspective, this means buyers can make meaningful impact by:

• Preferring providers who invest in training programs for licence candidates from priority cohorts
• Requiring providers to report on their workforce’s demographic composition
• Including questions about career progression and above-Award wages in procurement evaluation
• Asking about partnerships with TAFE providers, employment services, or community organisations that support the transition of disadvantaged workers into the security industry

Indigenous Business Engagement

Indigenous Business Australia and Supply Nation maintain registries of certified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. While the number of Aboriginal-owned security businesses is currently limited, buyers can contribute to growth in this area by:

• Including Indigenous business engagement as an evaluation criterion in security RFTs
• Asking security providers about their partnerships with Aboriginal-owned businesses in their supply chain (uniforms, equipment, training, and subcontracting)
• Connecting security providers with Supply Nation to support supplier diversity development

Modern Slavery Considerations

The Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 requires entities with annual consolidated revenue over $100 million to report on modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. Security services present specific modern slavery risks, including:

• Below-Award wage payment practices, particularly for overnight and weekend shifts
• Unlicensed workers engaged through informal subcontracting arrangements
• Uniforms and equipment sourced from offshore suppliers without ethical supply chain visibility

Buyers can address these risks by requiring security providers to supply a current Modern Slavery Statement and by conducting spot-check audits of worker entitlements as part of contract management.

Legion Security Group provides corporate security, industrial security, mobile patrol, and static guard services to Victorian Government agencies and corporate clients. Learn more about our approach to compliant, licenced security in Victoria.